Asian women participated in a line dancing class on Feb. 11 at the Dallas Chinese Community Center in Richardson. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Asians comprised more than 15 percent of the suburb’s population in 2010.

(Photos by Rose Baca)

The Dallas Chinese Community Center in Richardson is a stronghold for all things Asian. Tina Chen participates in a line dancing class at the nonprofit center.

(Rose Baca)

Racks of Chinese newspapers line the walls of the Dallas Chinese Community Center while a group of women in the background move slowly to music during a tai chi dance class.

(Rose Baca)

The library at the Dallas Chinese Community Center has about 20,000 traditional Chinese books some imported from Taiwan.

(Rose Baca)

Instructor Juliet Lam (center) leads Asian woman in a line dancing class on Feb. 11 at the Dallas Chinese Community Center in Richardson. The nonprofit center has been a refuge for Asian immigrants in the Dallas area for almost three decades.

(Rose Baca)

The library at the Dallas Chinese Community Center in Richardson has about 20,000 traditional Chinese book from Taiwan.

(Rose Baca)

Tucked along a strip center marked at the entrance by a Chinese cloud gate and a Confucius statue within, the Dallas Chinese Community Center has been a refuge for Asian immigrants in the Dallas area for almost three decades.

Located off Greenville Avenue in Richardson within D-FW China Town, the shopping center is a stronghold for all things Asian.

Chinese characters mark the entrance to the center and its neighboring retail shops and restaurants.

Inside the center, a group of women move slowly to music in a large multipurpose room during its tai chi dance class. Racks of Chinese newspapers line the walls.

In a neighboring room, a man browses a library of about 20,000 traditional Chinese books — some imported from Taiwan.

Down the hall, nine immigrants practice English grammar and pronunciation during an intermediate ESL class.

“We all came in as immigrants,” said Grace Tang, director of the center’s board of directors. “We understand the problems for the new immigrant to adapt and adjust to this new country. We can help them, and this is one way to do it.”

When the center first opened in Richardson, it was home to a thriving Asian community, which flocked to the northern suburb for its new housing and school district. Among the arrivals was Tang, who bought her first house in Richardson.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Asians comprised more than 15 percent of the suburb’s population in 2010.

The Asian community has continued to move north to communities such as Plano.

“Richardson is where we [Asians] started, as the excellent schools attracted Asians to live here. At that time, it was natural to have a center in Richardson,” Tang said. “Not many Chinese live in Dallas. It didn’t make sense to have a center there.”

Since the center’s opening, finances have been a struggle for the nonprofit, which offers most of its services for free. Fees for the ESL classes include the cost of the book, and the library requires a $20 annual membership, plus $20 deposit.

Tang said the library — which has about 200 memberships — is the primary public library devoted to providing extensive Chinese reading material. Richardson and Plano public libraries also include Chinese sections, but she said they’re not as large.

In 2006, the center received a $150,000 grant from the Meadows Foundation. In previous years, the center received funding from the Taiwanese government for outreach and to care for expatriates.

Tang said the grant money from the Meadows Foundation was earmarked for expanding services and hiring a bilingual executive director, which was never filled after a year’s search.

Instead the center used the money to expand its hours, open now all week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. It’s also hired an ESL teacher.

Money is still one of the nonprofit’s largest struggles, said Johnny Lee, the center’s strategic adviser. He said it costs about $150,000 annually to keep the lights on and run the programs. More than half of the center’s revenue is raised each year at its fundraising gala, which nets about $60,000, he said.

This year, Tang said the center received a $3,000 grant from Texas Instruments to support the ESL program and its art and cultural programs. The center also plans to apply for grants from the Communities Foundation of Texas.

Lee said the funds are essential as the center works to expand its programs to include job training, personal finance instruction and driving classes.

Most recently, the center initiated Saturday seminars on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act with plans to have two more on March 1 and March 8, he said.

“We try to take the most important news from the Dallas area and spread it to the whole Chinese community. Things like Obamacare, they need to know,” said Anna Chu, the center’s board chairwoman.

While the center is fundraising to support its internal programs, revitalization to the shopping center’s exterior is already under way.

Yellow caution tape marks off sections of the parking lot as construction workers install statues imported overseas of past Chinese emperors. The Chinese cloud gate marking the entrance are another recent addition from the year-long plan to remodel the center.

“It used to be a plain shopping strip. We’re working to bring more Chinese flavor. It will be a great tourist spot,” Tang said.

The center’s renovation efforts align with a mission by the city of Richardson to develop Main Street and its Central Expressway corridor. The plan includes the Chinatown area and 10 other neighborhoods.

A study and market analysis was completed last January. Currently, the city is implementing new zoning regulations to further its vision. Opportunities for public input will follow in the coming months.

Tina Firgens, planning project manager for the city, said the development project doesn’t include plans for construction by the city. Rather, the plan will set standards as property owners make modifications, such as the center’s current efforts.

According to the study, businesses within the shopping center would be leveraged to form a larger mixed-use district with Asian-inspired structures and artwork. It’s a long-term plan, and it would be decades before the city reaped rewards.

By that time, the center’s leaders aim to construct a standalone building with a gym and additional classroom space. Lee is eying a neighboring vacant lot at Greenville Avenue and Apollo Road.

But he estimates that wouldn’t come to fruition for another two to three decades.

“As long as we continue to have excellent programs, we will grow,” Tang said.